Somebody Needs To Do Something About Ford

[mini4mw]

I had the same problem in Atlanta. I know the dealer they are speaking of and got the same answer. 6-8 weeks, leave it on site and its not a good part of town.

Other locations wouldn't even look.

[Big J and S]

We had a problem with a ford engine that was out or warranty, Ford really did help, but finding a dealership was very difficult, check ratings for both repair centers.

[Marine71-76]

Originally Posted by JimD

This is one reason extended warranties might not be worth it.

Going to politely disagree with the comment. Lucky for us we had a Ford extended warranty on our F450. Unfortunately for us the Ford dealerships (yes, multiple) did not have diesel techs who were knowledgeable enough on the truck. DW took the truck to a local Ford dealership because of white smoke. DW picked up the truck & wasn't even 2 miles away & it started blowing white smoke (she was flipped off by the driver behind her). DW is NOT a nice person when she feels she is getting the run around. DW called Ford Headquarters, complained & was given the approval to take the truck to a "big" truck shop that at the time worked on Ford trucks (350 or larger). Ford actually called them & gave permission to work on the truck. Basically rebuilt the front end - which we didn't take the truck in for but had complained to the "regular" Ford dealerships about.

[Skip76]

Appreciate all the help. To answer a few. Was not denied warranty service and Ford Customer Service helped find two Ford dealerships within 1 and 2 hours drive who would tackle the job. One, Peach State Ford Truck estimated possibly 6-8 weeks and the unit had to be onsite that time. The other Courtesy Ford said be prepared for 4 weeks...also with the unit in site for that time. I spoke, and complained to Ford again. Got a survey from Peach State Ford on how we liked them and told them my problems with the service that almost makes the warranty worthless except for major issues worth the wait. Got an email from them. They are exceptionally busy as they are a truck dealer for several major makes. They apologized for the estimated delay and admitted that such a minor delay shouldn’t take that long and they’re working on shortening repair times for RVs. Given I gave them the error codes the engine was throwing off that should have factored into the checkin and repair time estimated but did not. I did find Rowland Tire just 30 minutes from the house who will repair the RV in two days but obviously warranty will not cover them. They asked why I didn’t give it to Ford to repair under warranty and I told them about the wait and need to have the unit on site. They sympathized and said they’d be glad to do the work and quoted a fair price for labor and part. Ford Customer service was helpful. That said, in and around Atlanta, there aren’t many dealerships with bays to accommodate an RV. It’s unfortunate that mother Ford couldn’t reach a deal with some truck repair shops to handle warranty work and perhaps lower the wait for repair time. Also, once the post-virus surge in truck repairs dies down, perhaps the wait won’t be so long, and/or perhaps the Ford truck dealerships will assess incoming RVs early on to see if it’s a simple repair instead of just holding them on the lot until they have time from repairing the commercial trucks. That’s enough wining on this. Thanks for the vent.

[Johnynorthland]

I’m still under Ford warrant on my 2019 but I’d have one of 2 places do the work in a pinch if I had to! Now if it was an expensive fix, say over $300 I might consider go to Ford! I might!

[Sprott]

This might be a little late but... pick a couple of weekdays and go camping as close to the roll up doors as possible at the mentioned Ford dealership. Be sure to deploy the bbq grill. They will get you in.

[Retired mountain folk]

You may want to tell Ford it’s a class “c”. Which is basically a e450 van chassis. Not a large class A. Most Ford dealerships don’t know the difference unless you tell them. Our Ford dealer keeps sending us notices saying sell us your E450 van, they don’t realize theres a camper on the chassis. Good luck.....

[Malyhupe]

Originally Posted by Marshmellow

For the Canadian folks the number I was told is 1-800-565-3673

Thanks for this number, will keep it handy

[Big J and S]

Our Georgetown had engine problems that happened on the way home from Disney, most ford dealerships do not have the space to work on motorhomes, we live in Tennessee and the closest Ford dealership was in North Carolina, they had to replace the whole motor, and it was their for several months, mostly because we were trying to get Ford to work with us and they did. We really do understand your frustration.

[daveobieone]

I really don't mean to high jack this thread, but this is related, and it seems like there are a LOT of folks here that know the Ford V10/450 pretty well...So here goes...

We are looking for a (used) smaller C or A. Almost all of those come on the 450 chassis, with the V10.

My question is simply this... Assuming normal maintenance, how many miles is "too many" for us to consider on a V10/450? When do they start either wearing out, or breaking? I'm 68, and and can't really repair things like I used to.

Thanks!
Dave O.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by daveobieone

I really don't mean to high jack this thread, but this is related, and it seems like there are a LOT of folks here that know the Ford V10/450 pretty well...So here goes...

We are looking for a (used) smaller C or A. Almost all of those come on the 450 chassis, with the V10.

My question is simply this... Assuming normal maintenance, how many miles is "too many" for us to consider on a V10/450? When do they start either wearing out, or breaking? I'm 68, and and can't really repair things like I used to.

Thanks!
Dave O.

Service records are key. A well maintained RV can have a lot of mileage if it’s taken care of properly, with preventive maintenance. However, there are exceptions. One of the biggest issues I’ve see on the V10’s is those dam exhaust manifold studs. They break off in the block when you try to change the gasket. If I were to buy used, I would look at 10-15K miles a year, and at least 100-200 hours per year on the generator. And make sure it doesn’t have an exhaust manifold leak, or had all of the studs replaced already!

If you don’t use any vehicle it becomes a sitting, lame duck!

[daveobieone]

Thanks for this...it means a lot to hear from folks with experience with these!
(I have none)

We are looking at probably 2014-2015 model years.
I take it 50k miles or so isn't a big worry if it's been well taken care of.?.

A lighter, 30 foot RV should put less strain on the power train...right?

Dave O.

[WFOracing]

No dealership wants to do warranty work, period. They lose money on it as the factories pay flat rate "standards" for any given fix. For example, Ford might pay .25 standards (15 minutes) for an O2 sensor. They pay nothing for booking the job in, writing it up, stocking the part, moving the coach to the work bay, prepping the rig, etc.. So the dealership will avoid RV warranty work like the plague.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by WFOracing

No dealership wants to do warranty work, period. They lose money on it as the factories pay flat rate "standards" for any given fix. For example, Ford might pay .25 standards (15 minutes) for an O2 sensor. They pay nothing for booking the job in, writing it up, stocking the part, moving the coach to the work bay, prepping the rig, etc.. So the dealership will avoid RV warranty work like the plague.

There is some truth to that. I also think the dealers don’t like to work on them because the engines are difficult to access, coupled with the fact that they don’t fit in the shop.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by daveobieone

Thanks for this...it means a lot to hear from folks with experience with these!
(I have none)

We are looking at probably 2014-2015 model years.
I take it 50k miles or so isn't a big worry if it's been well taken care of.?.

A lighter, 30 foot RV should put less strain on the power train...right?

Dave O.

You’ll never know what type of strain or abuse has been done. For example; I have dolly towed a 2,700 lbs Kia Soul for 4 years, and now flat tow a 3,300 lbs CRV. My rig specs state a tow rating of 7,500 lbs. I always look to tow light, and I never exceed my weight ratings, ever. Why not go as light as possible, have less on your mind as you drive. But some might say “7,500 lbs, let’s tow a pickup truck and load more junk in the bed”!

Again, if someone maintains their rig, most likely they will be very conscientious of all the above. My present rig is 2 years old. It’s my 3rd RV. The past few months, (especially because of all the newbies), I always get asked; is that brand new? Not only does it make me feel good, I’m confident in my rig. And my resale will reflect my maintenance.

We are about to take a long trip out west, my biggest concern is who can I trust to change my oil when I get there!!!